A Hard Drive is Nothing Without a Memory
by The Divine Shadow of Death
Summary: When a computer loses its memory, how do you recover it? Do you try and repair it, or leave it to restore itself? 18xK Romance Fic ^.^ *Chapter 3 ~ 8/10*
1. File One: §etup

Hi Minna-sama!   
  
  
This is my first DBZ fic and 8th piece of writing overall. It is about time I started writing in this category! I don't know if this type of plot has been done yet, but I will be a meanie and make you figure it out yourself. 

And as every author stresses, Please R&R! 

Just to let you know, all flames will be used on dearest Vegeta here. :: Looks over at Vegeta whom is currently duck taped to a chair in her bedroom with a terrified expression on his face :: Isn't that right, Veggie-sama? 

And future Trunks will help me reply to the nice readers! ::looks up at Trunks whom is watching her type:: Right Trunks? ::he says yes:: Will you also help me use the flames on Vegeta? ::he replies with a hell yeah:: 

::Vegeta makes whimpering noises in the background::   
  
  
  
***Kokuei~Desu*   
(xX Iron-Reaver Xx)   
// www.android18.com //**   
  
  
  
**Disclaimer Shiitake:**   
I do not own DBZ or any of the characters in this fic and I do know they aren't real. Although, I'd love to own Funimation Industries so I could have unedited episodes of DBZ and show them to the general public of people it was meant for (people from 15 - 21 instead of five year olds).   
  
  
******************************************************   
**\*A Hard Drive is Nothing Without a Memory*\**

**File One: \§etup\**   
******************************************************   
  
  
  
_Sometimes I remember  
The darkness of my past  
Bringing back these memories  
I wish I didn't have  
Sometimes I think of letting go  
And never looking back  
And never moving forward  
So there'd never be a past_   
  
**Easier to Run   
Linkin Park - Meteora**   
  
  
  
#18 walked down the stairwell stepping lightly so no one would hear her footfalls. The stairs still creaked slightly when she put her weight on them, although they didn't creak as loudly as they would have if she descended normally - *that* would have woken everyone in Kame House. She knew she could fly down them, but she would have to raise her power level to do so and that might wake Roshi or Krillin. 

It was risky, but she had to do it. This was the only thing keeping her from a giant shopping trip in South City, and in order to do so, she had to get away with *borrowing* her husband's credit cards. It was simple as that - get there and get back before anyone notices her absence. Not too hard, right? 

She sighed and stared idly at the remaining steps. 

She was the only woman (besides Bulma of course) that could kick Vegeta's ass and yet had trouble with a flight of noisy stairs. How cynical. 

Throwing the issue aside as best she could, which was difficult, she started down the steps again. She cringed each time her weight shifted from step to step - each had the potential to wake someone up and keep her on the island for the day. Not something she really wanted at the moment. 

*creeeeeeeeeeak* 

*deathly silence* 

*creeeeeeeeeeak* 

She had gotten far enough down to see past the wall that was obstructing her view. It was obvious to her what was going on. 

Master Roshi had fallen asleep on the couch again while watching his Pay-Per-View Playboy. He was drooling all over the couch and several beer cans littered the coffee table - hopefully he had a hangover from consuming it all. 

Then again if you think about Roshi's tendencies... He probably *was* trashed. 

Because of all the drinks as he had in his entire lifetime, which probably numbers somewhere in the upper thousands, he was amazingly not dead yet... nor immune to hangovers. Krillin would sometimes say that Roshi would outlive them all... And out drink them all... 

She wouldn't think of doubting him there... 

After a few more moments of cringing, #18 was relieved as she reached the landing - there were no more squeaky stairs to worry about. 

Now once she got to the door, she would be home free. 

Only one problem this time... 

She had to get past the *lecherous* sleeping Roshi to do so... Damn her luck... Damn Roshi's incoherent wandering hands that need no sleep to function... 

She decided to make a mad dash across the living room and hope for the best. It was worth waking up Krillin - she wouldn't get groped! 

Taking her chances, she ran like a bat out of hell across the room and made it to the door after bounding over the second couch. 

Half scared, she looked behind her. 

Roshi's hand was grasping at air. 

At least that wasn't her ass! 

Hoping Krillin hadn't awoke due to he lack of restraint on that one, she slid her sandals on and opened the screen door. The sun was just coming up at this point and that gave her a good idea of the time. 

At this point she began to walk to the shoreline, only to be interrupted. 

"Lovely sunrise, Isn't it 18?" 

Oh *shit*! She forgot about the turtle! 

"Where do you happen..." 

At that moment she grabbed and clamped his jaws shut so he couldn't speak. The turtle was quite frankly... shocked. He began to squirm. 

She whispered to him, "Say another word and your *dead* turtle! Don't tell them I'm leaving!" 

Letting go of his jaws and setting him down, she glared at him awaiting an answer. 

He furrowed his face and backed off, and nodding quickly in reply. He then sloppily scurried as fast as a turtle possibly could to the other side of the island. 

He is such a coward. 

At this point she wanted to be off the island *period*. 

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a rather large tin of dynocaps. She always had some due to their frequent visits with Bulma - she practically gives them away. They were swimming in cases. 

She clicked a blue striped one with her thumb, and chucked it into the water. 

Its contents appeared in the water with a poof. 

***** 

About and two hours after #18 left, Krillin woke up. As a husband would do, he noticed that she wasn't beside him. Normally he wouldn't worry about it, but today was different. 

He had an ominous feeling... 

Something was wrong... 

Dressing himself quickly and being careful not to wake Marron, he made his way to the living room. 

Roshi, as anyone would have expected, was drunk and sleeping. In worry for his wife, he shook him awake. 

"Master Roshi!? Where is 18?" 

Half dazed, he opened his mouth to speak, but before any words came out...   
  
  
  
The phone started to ring...   
  
  
  
And Krillin was overcome with dread...   
  
  
  
******************************************************   
\­To Be Continu3d\   
****************************************************** 

Mwahahaha! Cliffhanger of death! 

Please R&R! 

**Note:** No Vegeta's were harmed in the making of this fic... We did come close though... 


	2. File Two: £xtract

Hi Minna-sama!   
  
  
I decided to change the plot line a bit more for my own reasons. Sorry it took me so long to update – I've been having issues lately and I've been on a lazy streak. 

By the way... ::hears the legs of a chair begin to thump in the background:: Where the HFIL do you think you're going Vegeta!? ::he sweatdrops:: You weren't considering leaving me, now were you? Aren't you going to stay for the flames? ::he panics and gestures no with his head:: Good! But first... 

Please R&R!!!! Review responses at the bottom! I need fic ideas, too!   
  
  
  
***Kokuei~Desu*   
(xX Iron-Reaver Xx)   
// //**   
  
  
  
**Disclaimer Shiitake:**   
I do not own DBZ or any of the characters in this fic and I do know they aren't real. Although, I'd love to own Funimation Industries so I could have unedited episodes of DBZ and show them to the general public of people it was meant for (people from 15 - 21 instead of five year olds).   
  
  
******************************************************   
**\*A Hard Drive is Nothing Without a Memory*\**

**File Two: \£xtract\**   
******************************************************   
  
  
  
_Sometimes I remember  
The darkness of my past  
Bringing back these memories  
I wish I didn't have  
Sometimes I think of letting go  
And never looking back  
And never moving forward  
So there'd never be a past_   
  
**Easier to Run   
Linkin Park - Meteora**   
  
  
  
*An hour or two prior to Krillin's phone call* 

Android 18 was quite happy with herself. She was able to make it to out of Kame House without being noticed (if you don't count our dearest turtle) and beached her capsule on the sands of South City without encountering any storms (of which they were notorious for). Ahh... Life was good... 

Currently, she was carrying several bags of miscellaneous clothing and trinkets, bags covering her beaming grin. She walked from store to store and vowed to buy anything that looked good to her even if she couldn't carry it (that's what capsules are for – WE LOVE YOU BULMA-CHAN). She was going to max out every single one of her husband's cards and have fun doing it. It really didn't matter! She didn't pay the bills – Krillin did! 

Oh yes... He was going to regret raising his credit limits... 

She waltzed right into a jewelry store and eyeballed the items in the AVEAOOKPR (all very expensive and out of Krillin's price range) case. She really didn't see anything that suited her needs, so she turned around ready to leave only to come face to face with a salesman whom scared that proverbial shit out of her. 

"Ma'am! Can I help you find something?" 

She stared at the magical appearing salesman and responded quite coldly as usual, "No." 

"Are you sure?" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes pleading as if he were Hurcule Satan, "Can't I help you?" 

"Well...", at this point she thought of something. She needed to replace the original diamond wedding ring that Krillin got her, "I need a new wedding ring." 

Before she knew it, the magical salesman appeared behind a case pointing at things that would give him the highest profits. 

"Shopping around for the ring you want your new hubby to get you!" He had hearts in his eyes and was clenching his hands to his heart, "How sweet!" 

This man was beginning to give her the creeps (something quite rare in the life of our #18)... He could be one of two things – a close relative of Hurcule Satan or a very sad gay man awaiting removal from his closet... 

Either way... He was annoying as HELL! 

"This one is nice! And this one is nice! So is this one! And this is SOOOOO pretty! I know you'd like this one! And..." 

"Uh... I'm sure those are nice. Actually... This is my CURRENT husband who's ring of mine needs replaced." Looking at the selection of rings in front of him she noticed something between them... "I need a ring that has... well... something to protect the diamond... I kind of lost the last one..." (Well... It is more like embedded in Vegeta's head somewhere... She punched him while they were sparring and *poof* it was gone... Forever to be embedded in the lost forlorn monkey abyss or in layman's terms – his forehead... That's another story for another day... Maybe I should write a fic about it, too!) 

"Ok!" He goes skipping off into the storage room only to emerge five minutes later with a box. He opened it in front of her. "How about this one?" 

It was a 24karat gold ring with a diamond in the middle surrounded by two small rubies all with a golden bridge protecting the stones. 

She was surprised, "How many zeni?" (I can ryme!) 

"12,000 even." 

"I'll take it." 

After making that purchase with Krillin's Mastercard, she noticed something in the gold case on the way out – a gold wedding band. The very queer salesman popped up again, "Have you spotted something else?" 

"Actually... Yes... How much are those?" She points at the ring in the case. 

"Oh! 6,750 zeni!" 

She thought about it for a second. 

"Can... this be engraved?" 

"Certainly!" 

***** 

Shortly after leaving the jewelry store, she decided she was going to get a Mocha from the Starbucks next door (shopping is exhausting!). The place wasn't really that busy, so she hopped in line and placed her order. She sat her bags down on the floor near her, grabbing her purse and pulling out $5 (not Krillin's credit cards!) to cover it. 

Right before she handed the money to the clerk, she screamed and so did several other people. 18 looked behind her – her bags were gone. 

She ran out the door only to catch a slight glimpse of the culprit turning the nearest corner with her bags. She took off after him in a dead run, deciding not to fly for the sake of people's sanity. 

She followed him around several corners and was able to get through the nearest intersection without her noticing. 

She stopped in the middle of the road wondering which direction he turned and assessing his possibilities...   
  
  
  
She was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice onlookers yelling for her to get out of the way...   
  
  
  
...and last thing she remembered was staring unmoving into the lights of an oncoming semi accompanied by the large explosion of the liquids it was carrying...   
  
  
  
******************************************************   
\­To Be Continu3d\   
****************************************************** 

MWAHAHAHAHA! Another evil cliffhanger of death! I love doing this to people!   
  
  
**Review Responses:**

**Kelly Neptunus:** It's about time, I know! I think everyone was expecting me to write this actually... I was surprised how easy it was... I know more about DBZ than I thought I did, that's for sure! 

**Kureeji:** Actually, 18 didn't run away for good. She was just sick of the resident's actions. For example - Would you like Roshi grabbing at your butt? ::shivers at the thought:: 

**Lord White Wolf:** I'm glad you like it! Thanx for reviewing! 

**Deadly Beauty:** You actually thought this was good! ::squeels:: I'm glad people actually like one of my fics for once! ::squeezes the life out of DB:: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

**Crazy Jen:** Thankies for review! I updated the fic ::as you can see - please don't thrash me for it's lateness:: I do own that group and Evil Juu here is my moderator! I look forward to see your thoughts on my newest cliffhanger ^_^ (I know you hate being left off!) 

**Evil Juu Chan:** It has been posted! I'm actually surprised I got one chapter out... I'm the queen of all laziness! ::squeels:: I'm glad you like it too!   
  
  
**Note:** No Vegeta's were harmed in the making of this fic... We did come close though... 


	3. File Three: Eråse

Hi Minna-sama!   
  
Sorry it took me so long to update... I've been having some serious issues in life lately... Mom's car got ruined in a flood and the car dealership burned us on buying a new one (sold us a lemon) and we are stuck now... ::sighs:: 

Trunks pokes his head out from around the corner, "You really have!". The tied up Vegeta also nods, no longer looking panicked... just more... well, upset. 

Please R&R!!!! Review responses at the bottom!   
  
  
***Kokuei~Desu*   
(xX Iron-Reaver Xx)**   
  
  
**Disclaimer Shiitake:**   
I do not own DBZ or any of the characters in this fic and I do know they aren't real. Although, I'd love to own Funimation Industries so I could have unedited episodes of DBZ and show them to the general public of people it was meant for (people from 15 - 21 instead of five year olds).   
  
  
******************************************************   
**\A Hard Drive is Nothing Without a Memory\ **

File Three: \Eråse\   
******************************************************   
  
  
_Sometimes I remember  
The darkness of my past  
Bringing back these memories  
I wish I didn't have  
Sometimes I think of letting go  
And never looking back  
And never moving forward  
So there'd never be a past_

**Easier to Run   
Linkin Park - Meteora**   
  
  
*The Present*   
  
The phone at Kame house was ringing with Krillin and Roshi staring at it, both too petrified to move. 

They knew something was wrong... They just knew it... 

But Marron wasn't so lucky... 

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she tottered down the stairs as any three year old would while dragging a warn out teddy bear behind her. Being as observant as someone her age is, she stared at her father and Roshi. Why weren't they answering the telephone? Her mommy said that it usually when somebody called it was important... 

Being the big girl she was and all, she decided to answer it herself... 

"Hello?" 

She looked back at Krillin. 

"Daddy, It's for you. Something about mommy..."   
  
  
*****   
  
  
*An Hour Prior*   
  
  
The truck tore into her because the driver had no time to stop. In the 2 seconds she had she had to think she made a futile attempt to brace herself. 

She closed her eyes and hoped for the best... 

Before she succumbed to the blackness the last thing she heard was an explosion and the wretched sound of steel gouging into pavement... 

And those sounds one wouldn't be able to forget as long as they lived... And yet... She would not know she heard them...   
  
  
*****   
  
  
*The Present*   
  
  
18 awoke with wires attached to her in several places and slight burn marks on her arms and legs. She looked around this 'room' she was in and saw blue curtains, chairs, white walls, and heard strange beeps coming from all sides... 

Only one thing came to her mind... What IS this place and what in the hell happened? 

During her train of thought a woman in white walked in and poked at the bad of fluids attached to a pole and looked at the screen with waves on it. She had a clipboard and was writing things down on it. Probably heart rate and such. 

She looked at her and spoke... 

"Eighteen! I see you are finally awake! How are you feeling?" 

She looked at the woman oddly blinking several times clutching the white blanket that was covering her with her fists. 

What? Why the hell was she calling her 'eighteen'? Who is this 'eighteen' person? Surely it wasn't her! This was some kind of sick joke, wasn't it? Surely it isn't her! 

"What?" 

The nurse looked sincere and placed the clipboard at her side, "I'm sorry, You weren't paying attention were you? That's ok. How are you feeling 18?" 

There that woman was, calling her 18 again... Her brother probably planned this. It WAS her and her brother's 18th birthday today after all! He did this! 

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" 

"E...Excuse me?" 

She clenched her fists tighter. She was right! Her friend threw a party for them last night! She probably got drunk and passed out! He can stay sober! He placed her here! 

"Is this some kind of sick joke!? You know my name isn't 18! Christopher planned this, didn't he?" 

"Chris...topher? I don't know who that is, I'm sorry..." 

"You're lying! My brother planned this, didn't he? He's probably hiding somewhere in here waiting to jump out and yell 'Happy Birthday Christine'! God! I just want to know what the HELL is going on here!" 

She fumed. 

"I'm NOT eighteen! My name is Christine! Why are you calling me that!?" 

The nurse put her right hand to her mouth in shock... Did this woman... Was she? Could she have... 

She decided to speak her mind to Eighteen, "I... I think I've seen this before." 

'Christine' stared blankly at her once more, "What?" 

"I... I think you've lost you're memory..." 

"That IS NOT possible! I REMEMBER WHERE I WAS YESTERDAY AND WHAT I WAS DOING! How could I have lost my memory!?" 

The woman fumbled for her clipboard and picked up the driver's license that was clipped in with her papers. She looked at it and then looked at the woman. 

They were the same. Most definitely the same person... 

She handed it the befuddled woman, "If you don't believe me, please look at this..." 

'Christine' looked at the card and began to read it...   
  
  
**Name:** Android 18 (Juuhachi-Gou)  
**Age:** 18  
**Hair:** Blonde  
**Eyes:** Blue  
**Expires:** June 15, 778 A.D...   
  
  
The card fell from her hands and onto the white floor tiles, the nurse still standing beside her... 

'Christine' gasped as she raked her hands through her hair viciously unable to comprehend what she just saw... "T...The... Yesterday was... Yesterday was June 14th 758 A.D..."   
  
  
*****   
  
  
*Meanwhile...*   
  
  
A boy is standing beside the caution tape marking off the wreckage of a semi truck that was carrying gasoline. He happened to notice it while walking to the store. 

After watching for a few minutes he turns around not wanting to be yelled at by his grandfather. A few steps forward he notices something and almost steps on it and crushes it...   
  
  
A computer chip soaked with blood...   
  
  
******************************************************   
**\To Be Continu3d\**   
******************************************************   
  
  
MWHAHAHA! Cliffy! Cliffy! Cliffy! Cliffy! Cliffy! I really don't know if the name 'Christine' has been used for 18 or 'Christopher' for 17 but ow well of there are any coincidences.   
  
  
**Review Responses:**

**Rain 12:** Hoped you liked that! Evil endings are my specialty! I only do them so people will complain! Thanx for reviewing! 

**IconPorygon:** Here's the next chapter for ya! Hoped you like it! I really value your review because you cost 9999 game tokens! I was a big poke fan when I was younger ^.^ 

**Brian, Dark Emotionless Shadow:** I don't think cell and pokeballs mix... Although he does kinda look like a Nidoking... I see you hate my cliffhangers as well. Sorry for the third one (it's a habit). A Dark Emotionless Shadow... I think I'm one of those, too... 

**Kururin's Onna:** Spiffy! That's one of my favorite words! Thanks for the review! 

**Deadly Beauty:** I know I'm mean cuz of the cliffhangers! Sorry about the third (inevitable) cliffy of death. I really think your writing is lotses better than mine cuz compared to my other stuff I kinda skimped on this fic (just don't tell anyone else ^.^). Thanks for putting me on your favs list! I look forward to your next review! 

**Kelly Neptunus:** Since I feel really bad for Krillin, I'm going to spare him from the wrath of creditors and have his credit cards cancelled on the account of theft ^.^. Lucky man! I know I'm evil ::snickers::! Thanks for liking my ficcy!   
  
  
**Note:** No Vegeta's were harmed in the making of this fic... We did come close though... 


End file.
